The present invention relates to an ordering system, especially an ordering system that controls sending/receiving orders between a customer to which many users belong and dealers who provide the users of the customer with goods, services, etc.
In organizations such as companies, many kinds and large amounts of MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) such as stationery and tools and furniture are consumed. These consumable supplies are necessary for business management of the organization, purchases are controlled in relation to the budget and accounting.
Consumable supplies, tools, furniture, etc. are indirectly necessary for business activities and production activities and are known as non-production or subsidiary materials.
Purchases of non-production materials are made in small quantities, frequently, and in a wide variety, and the sellers who are dealers and their purchase condition are often different for each item and area. Therefore, purchase control by the organization is complicated. In large-scale organizations having hundreds of employees, a list of items to be purchased and their prices over a certain period are negotiated wit)h dealers. In general, a person in charge of the company's purchase department negotiates with dealers. Organizations such as companies attempt to the reduce work load of controlling purchases by engaging in purchase activities over a certain period in accordance with the negotiated results.
On the other hand, the ordering and sale of goods and services have been done via the Internet in recent years. Namely, the providers of the goods construct Web sites, and those who wish to purchase these goods electronically visit various kinds of Web sites and select the goods to be purchased. Goods and services offered using Web sites include books, groceries, automobiles, stationery, computers, transportation services, and gift services such as live flowers, etc. Offerings of good and services using Web sites are similar to shopping malls and shopping centers in the real world. Namely, each purchaser performs searches on a Web site that deals with the goods to purchase, compares the contents of the goods, and subsequently orders one to the Web site. Then the payment for the goods or service is done using a credit card, bank transfer, etc. In many cases, each of the goods etc. is sent directly to the purchaser's address. Also, in the case of gift services such as live flowers and gifts, the gifts are often sent directly to the recipients.
Also, business to business platforms utilizing the Internet have been gradually realized. These are developed mainly for the procurement of material directly used in the business and production activities. In many platforms, the selection process of materials and dealers to order from based on pricing conditions etc. is supported.
In purchasing items at prices decided between the customer and dealer beforehand, in order to issue orders based on the agreed upon conditions, the customer must place an order with the dealers and make reference to the conditions agreed upon with each of one or more stores, requiring certain knowledge in relation to placing orders and making requests.
In the example, unfortunately, it is difficult for a user himself/herself who wishes to obtain the item to perform the ordering process himself. In this case, there needs to be an indirect business in charge of placing the order, upon receipt of the request from the user himself/herself, resulting in enormous personnel costs (business cost, transaction cost, or personnel expense). Especially, when the items are low in price and of many kinds, the total purchase price to the organization may be exceeded by the management costs necessary for the purchase. Also, in order for a user (e.g., an employee other than the purchase department of the company) to issue an order, the user himself/herself in the organization has to know the dealer.
Keeping company employees informed of the individual dealers for each of the items also causes the personnel cost to increase.
Also, as to the management of purchase activities, such as budget control, the approval of items to be purchased, and accounting control related to purchases, if purchase conditions and purchase methods are unified in an organization, savings in the form of personnel cost reduction related to approval and accounting can be achieved. However, because the purchase of non-production materials is frequent and of many kinds, checking whether the enormous contents processed with handwritten slips conform with the organization's purchase regulations and agreements with the stores has been practically impossible.
Namely, in accomplishing purchases with handwritten slips, it is practically impossible to be thorough with a unified purchase condition and purchase method, and a huge personnel costs are incurred in trying to maintain a unified purchase method. On the other hand, because a unified purchase activity is difficult, the reduction of personnel costs also becomes difficult in managing purchases with accounting control. Especially, when there are trades with many dealers, this trend becomes significant.
Because purchasing activities and the management of non-production materials and subsidiary materials are indirect to regular business and production activities, although they should be performed at low cost, there has been the inconvenience that they require huge personnel costs in organizations cited in the earlier examples.
Because companies must create documents necessary to paying various kinds of taxes, and documents necessary for accounting reports, the purchases of non-production materials etc. and related accounting processing are indispensable for companies. The fact that the purchase management of non-production materials is an indispensable activity makes it difficult to reduce “invisible costs” related to the purchase of non-production materials. Namely, the purchase of non-production materials and related accounting processing cannot be eliminated.
Therefore, for the management of each company, an investigation of how to reduce costs related to the purchase of non-production materials becomes necessary.
Also, when taking advantage of the sale of items on a business-to-business platform or a Web site, a search must be made to find dealers that offer the required items. Also, because even a user who simply needs an item must solve the problem of at what price to purchase the item, each user must know the purchase conditions and method of purchase of the organization he or she belongs to.
Namely, from the standpoint of reduction of personnel costs in an organization, searching for stores that offer the item, comparing the prices, studying the purchase conditions etc. inside the organization, etc. are also considered as costs.
Conventionally, when an organization trades with many dealers, purchase-related personnel costs becomes large.